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The new no-fee Amtrak Platinum Plus Guest Rewards Mastercard looks really interesting. Apparently you earn 1 Guest Rewards point for every dollar charged (2 points for every charge at Amtrak).
Then, when you have accumulated enough, you can transfer 5000 Amtrak Guest Rewards to either 5000 United Mileage Plus points or 5000 Continental OnePass points.
So, I am going to cancel my Continental One-Pass credit card (as it has an annual fee). In my opinion, this is the best no-annual fee card (Mastercard/Visa) out there that earns miles.
More details can be found here:
http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/Offers/mbna.cfm
(The link above is NOT a referral link, I do not benefit at all from anybody clicking on it... I'm just providing this tidbit of info to the Flyertalk community)
p.s. - If anybody sees any downside to this, please let me know.
[This message has been edited by steve100 (edited 11-17-2001).]
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I agree with you. The only potential downside that I see is that Amtrak is in a fair amount of financial trouble.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/courant/20011110/lo/amtrak_hitting_fiscal_wall_1.html
However, I am also seriously considering switching. The amtrak points can also be converted to Hilton points on a 2-1 basis.
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I have the card, and my points from the first month's of use haven't posted.
I think points post really slowly so be prepared for non-instant gratification in this arena.
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MBNA has some really good customer service, to boot.
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Well, I got the card. When I receive it I will chop up my Chase Continental Card. The only bummer is that it's a Mastercard only. I have an MC; need a Visa.
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Highgamma if you are interested in Hilton HHonours points I would get the Citibank Hilton HHonours Visa rather than the Amtrak card. You earn 2 points per $ (3 pts on HH charges), no annual fee, and no hassle of transferring points - plus you can get it in a VISA.
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I Love New York
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Are there any monthly or annual limits on the amount of miles that can be earned or transferred?
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Originally posted by Redhead:
Highgamma if you are interested in Hilton HHonours points I would get the Citibank Hilton HHonours Visa rather than the Amtrak card.
Thanks, Redhead. I'm actually looking for the option between Continental and Hilton, depending upon what I need. Can I transfer points to Continental miles?
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Originally posted by highgamma:
Can I transfer points to Continental miles?
Yes, you can, although the exchange rate is lousy. For more information see http://www.hilton.com/en/hhonors/rewards/exchange_2.jhtml .
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Yeah, that is a pretty lousy exchange rate for Hilton into airmiles. I'll probably stick with the Amtrak card. While the 2-for-1 for Hilton points isn't as good as a Hilton card, 1-for-1 conversion to Continental and United is a great option. I can even use 25,000 points and get a free week with Hertz.
I don't travel as much as most on this board, but I do charge! The flexibility of awards is more important to me.
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Originally posted by highgamma:
Well, I got the card. When I receive it I will chop up my Chase Continental Card. The only bummer is that it's a Mastercard only. I have an MC; need a Visa.
Just curious, Why?
Most places that accept MC, accept Visa as well.
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I've seen some promotions for Visa that don't apply to MC (e.g., Hilton promo). I already have a Aadvantage MC. If I'm going to have another card, I'd want it to be a Visa.
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Mountain Trader, there is a limit of 100,000 points per year earnable on this card. That is revealed in the little rule book that accompanies the card.
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Originally posted by Sweet Willie:
Just curious, Why?
Most places that accept MC, accept Visa as well.
I was at Sam's club this weekend, got the shock of my life. they are accept Visa, No MC.
I always thought visa and MC is pratically the same.
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your lucky-- my Sam's only takes Discover!
Originally posted by bellwilliam:
I was at Sam's club this weekend, got the shock of my life. they are accept Visa, No MC.
I always thought visa and MC is pratically the same.
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your lucky-- my Sam's only takes Discover!
i think the only time you'll see stores non accept Visa or MC is if one of them pays the store ALOT of money for advertising/marketing reasons.
Originally posted by bellwilliam:
I was at Sam's club this weekend, got the shock of my life. they are accept Visa, No MC.
I always thought visa and MC is pratically the same.
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think they might have changed the sign-up bonus: shows 500 not 5,000 points for a sign-up...
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Unless I'm wrong, sams club takes debit cards, including VISA debit cards, but not regular visa cards or any other CC, only Discover.
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Originally posted by pointman:
Unless I'm wrong, sams club takes debit cards, including VISA debit cards, but not regular visa cards or any other CC, only Discover.
A workaround for the Sam Club credit card issue is to buy gift cards with your AMEX/Visa/MC @ Walmart and use it @ Sam's.
You can also buy a Wal-Mart gift card @ Ebates.com and get cash back.
I wish Sam's would wise up and just take the cards.
They are losing biz to Costco as they take AMEX....
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Originally posted by pointman:
Unless I'm wrong, sams club takes debit cards, including VISA debit cards, but not regular visa cards or any other CC, only Discover.
I've only been in one Sam's Club (Montclair, CA) and they definitely took Visa and Discover but not MC. I remember jumping for joy that I could earn points. I have the Visa statements to prove it.
That said, from what I've read the Visa acceptance varies from Sam's Club to Sam's Club. I believe Discover is always taken.
Also, since this card is MBNA I assume that that it's still the 1% foreign exchange instead of the 3-4% offered by most others? I've never had an MBNA card and have no idea if they level an aditional charge on any of their cards.
[This message has been edited by mch710 (edited 12-13-2001).]
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Definitely worth a good look! Thanks Steve! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
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I might have to sign up for this credit card because the suggestions here when my AA card expires in March. Would anyone know if you can earn points for train rides from Newark Airport to NYC, I think I have read that some of the trains are Amtrack. I don't have any experience with how the program works. Could I sign up at the airport before boarding and then get the credit card later? Thanks
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Originally posted by mch710:
since this card is MBNA I assume that that it's still the 1% foreign exchange instead of the 3-4% offered by most others?
That's correct.
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Originally posted by bowmanb:
I might have to sign up for this credit card because the suggestions here when my AA card expires in March. Would anyone know if you can earn points for train rides from Newark Airport to NYC, I think I have read that some of the trains are Amtrack. I don't have any experience with how the program works. Could I sign up at the airport before boarding and then get the credit card later? Thanks
Just went to the amtrak website and found a $23 fare from Newark airport to New York Penn Station. Does this sound right?
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I think the one way fare is a little over $11, so the $23 quote would be correct for a roundtrip ticket.
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Looks like the fare listed is $23 one-way and $46 round-trip, so something looks fishy. I guess a call to Amtrak customer service is in order.
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Originally posted by highgamma:
Looks like the fare listed is $23 one-way and $46 round-trip, so something looks fishy. I guess a call to Amtrak customer service is in order.
Sounds about right. Typically someone traveling from Newark to New York (both Penn Stations) uses NJ Transit - around $2.50 OW Peak and $3.50 RT off-peak. Check out http://www.njtransit.com/sf_train_timetables.shtm for the Northeast Corridor Timetable.
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Sorry, price quoted was for Penn Station to Penn Station - add about $6 from the airport - check out the timetable in my previous post for fares.
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Sorry to be a pain, but this thread is for discussion about the Amtrak Mastercard... If we could be so kind, please limit the discussion to this topic for this thread.
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Steve100,
You're actually not being a pain; however, in order to keep your Amtrak points, you need to take Amtrak once every three years. Hence, a cheap Amtrak ride is a relevant part of this thread. I actually thought that I would satisfy the once-every-3-years requirement by taking Amtrak to Newark airport; however, the price difference is severe enough that I might not.
Hmm. Maybe I'll take it just once to keep the points. Is there a big difference between the Amtrak and the NJ Transit trains?
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You are right... I see (in the T&C's) under section E. Amtrak Guest Rewards Conditions, point #2 that "will not expire as long as the Program continues and the Member purchases travel on Amtrak within a 3-year period"...
Well, since the program just started, we all have 3 years to take that Amtrak ride...
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The reason that I asked my question and got this thread a bit off topic was two fold. I knew about the 3 year ride requirement and wanted to know if that ticket would satisfy the requirement. Know I am apt to take this Air Train to NYC the next time I am in town and could kill two birds with one stone. Second, I think that there is a 500 point bonus if you ride the train within something like three months when you sign up for the program. With so many people on FT planning to max their reward points just thought someone would have tried to max points on a cheap NYC ride just before applying for the card.
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Originally posted by Redhead:
Highgamma if you are interested in Hilton HHonours points I would get the Citibank Hilton HHonours Visa rather than the Amtrak card. You earn 2 points per $ (3 pts on HH charges), no annual fee, and no hassle of transferring points - plus you can get it in a VISA.
If highgamma doesn't charge a whole lot at Hilton, the Amtrak card might be advantageous since it, too, offers 2pts/$ charged (although it takes 5,000 points to redeem for the 10,000 Hilton points). See the Partner Rewards link here: http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/
And having the option of redeeming for something else (CO, Sheraton) might be nice.